Levi'im, Time, and the Song of Shabbos

במדרש קח את הלוים כמה נימין הי' בכנור שבע ולימות המשיח ח' ולעתיד עשרה בנבל עשור כו'.

In the Midrash on "Take the Levi'im" (Bamidbar 8:6): how many strings were on the kinnor (harp)? Seven; and in the days of Mashiach, eight; and in the future, ten — "with the ten-stringed nevel" (Tehillim 92:4), etc.

The Midrash links the Levi'im to the harp, whose number of strings rises from seven now, to eight in Messianic times, to ten in the ultimate future — each era's song expanding.

כי השירה תליא בזמן.

For the shirah (song) depends upon time.

The song of the Levi'im is bound up with the dimension of time, changing as the eras change.

ולכן בכל יום יש שיר אחר כי ההתחדשות שיש בכל יום נותן השירה כמ"ש ז"ל כי השמש אומרת שירה וזורחת ע"ש בפסוק שמש בגבעון דום.

And therefore each day has a different "shir" (song), for the renewal that exists in each day gives rise to the song — as Chazal said, that the sun sings shirah as it rises; see there, on the passuk "Sun, stand still in Givon" (Yehoshua 10:12).

Each day's unique renewal of creation produces its own song; even the sun "sings" as it rises, expressing the fresh chiyus of that day.

כי בכל יום יש הארה אחרת כדאיתא בשם האר"י ז"ל כי אין כל יום דומה לחבירו מבריאת עולם.

For each day has a different illumination, as is brought in the name of the Arizal, that no day is like another since the creation of the world.

The Arizal teaches that every single day carries a wholly unique illumination — no two days have ever been alike — and so each calls forth its own song.

ונראה דהלוים מיוחדים לבחי' הזמן דיש ג' בחי' עולם שנה נפש.

And it appears that the Levi'im are designated for the aspect of time (zeman), for there are three aspects: olam (space/world), shanah (time/year), and nefesh (soul).

Drawing on the kabbalistic triad of olam-shanah-nefesh (space, time, soul), the Sefas Emes assigns the Levi'im specifically to the "shanah" dimension of time.

דצריך כל אדם בפרט ומכש"כ כלל ישראל לתקן המקום והזמן שמיוחד לו בתיקון נפשו.

For every individual, and all the more so Klal Yisrael, must rectify the place and the time that is designated to him, together with the rectification of his soul.

Each person, and certainly the nation, has a particular place, time, and soul to elevate — his avodah is to bring tikkun to all three dimensions assigned to him.

ובנ"י תקנו המקום בכח ארץ ישראל ולכן נתחלק להם הארץ ולשבט לוי לא הי' חלק.

And Bnei Yisrael rectified the "place" through the power of Eretz Yisrael; therefore the Land was apportioned to them, but the tribe of Levi had no portion [in it].

The dimension of "place" is rectified through Eretz Yisrael, which is why the land was divided among the tribes — but Levi, belonging to a different dimension, received no territorial portion.

והלוים מוכנים לתקן בחי' שנה לכן הלוים נפסלים בשנים ולא במומים.

And the Levi'im are prepared to rectify the aspect of "shanah" (time/year); therefore the Levi'im are disqualified by years [of age] and not by blemishes.

Since the Levi'im correspond to the dimension of time, their fitness for service is governed by age (a measure of time), not by physical defects.

כמ"ש במשנה כשר בכהנים פסול בלוים.

As it says in the Mishnah: what is fit (kosher) among Kohanim is disqualified among Levi'im [and vice versa].

The Mishnah notes the inverse rule: age disqualifies a Levi though not a Kohen, while a blemish disqualifies a Kohen though not a Levi — reflecting their different dimensions.

והכהן מיוחד לבחי' נפש לכן צריך שלא יהי' בו מום.

And the Kohen is designated for the aspect of "nefesh" (soul); therefore he must have no blemish.

The Kohen corresponds to the "nefesh" dimension, tied to the body and self, so his bodily wholeness — freedom from any mum — is what matters.

ואין נפסל בשנים.

And he is not disqualified by years.

Because the Kohen belongs to the soul-dimension rather than time, advancing age does not disqualify him.

ולכן תליא השיר בבחי' הזמן.

And therefore the song depends upon the aspect of time.

Since the Levi'im — the singers — correspond to time, their shirah is essentially bound to the dimension of zeman.

ולימות המשיח וכן לעתיד יהי' שינוי בזמן וישתנה השיר.

And in the days of Mashiach, and likewise in the ultimate future, there will be a change in time, and the song will change [accordingly].

As the very nature of time is elevated in the Messianic era and beyond, the song will correspondingly expand — to eight strings, and then ten.

וכמו כן שבת מעין עוה"ב לכן מזמור שיר ליום השבת כתיב בי' עלי עשור.

And likewise Shabbos is a semblance of Olam HaBa; therefore "A psalm, a song for the day of Shabbos" (Tehillim 92:1) — in which is written "upon the ten-stringed instrument" (Tehillim 92:4).

Shabbos is a foretaste of the world-to-come, so its psalm already mentions the future ten-stringed instrument — the song of Shabbos draws on the heightened time of the future.

ושבת הוא בחי' שיר השירים שכולל כל השירים של ימי המעשה:

And Shabbos is the aspect of "Shir HaShirim" (the Song of Songs), which includes all the songs of the weekdays (yemei ha-ma'aseh).

Shabbos is the "song of songs" that gathers up and contains all the individual songs of the six weekdays, uniting their illuminations into one.

Summary: The song of the Levi'im depends on the dimension of time, which is why its strings increase from seven now, to eight in the days of Mashiach, to ten in the future — and why each day, with its wholly unique illumination (as the Arizal teaches), gives rise to its own song. Of the triad olam-shanah-nefesh, Bnei Yisrael rectify "place" through Eretz Yisrael, the Levi'im rectify "time" (hence disqualified by years, not blemishes), and the Kohanim rectify "soul" (hence disqualified by blemishes, not years). As time itself is elevated in the future the song will change; and Shabbos, a foretaste of Olam HaBa, already bears the ten-stringed song and is the "Shir HaShirim" that contains all the songs of the weekdays.